Discussions By Condition: I cannot get a diagnosis.

My breathing stops while I`m sleeping

Over the past few nights while I try and drop off to sleep I can feel my body shutting down, it seems to slow down to such and extent that I stop breathing. I gasp for breath and then get terrible headaches and palpitations in my chest and neck which lasts for a few minutes ti`ll I try and drop off again. This lasts for a few hours until the early hours when i`m just catching the odd chance to have nap. I do not snore or have any blockages, im not over weight, my body just seems to shut down.I have had high blood pressure problems for the last 27 years and before going on the BP tablets that i`m on now I was ok, recently I was told I had to up my daily dose from 10mgs to 20mgs to stabilise my readings. My BP really fluctuates from readings of 180/115 to 111/71 and I am scared that while i`m sleeping it drops so low that thats the reason for my breathing to stop and if I go on stronger ones then my problem will get worse.Am I right in thinking this or are the two problems unrelated? I am 49 years of age.

4 Replies:

Over the past few nights while I try and drop off to sleep I can feel my body shutting down, it seems to slow down to such and extent that I stop breathing. I gasp for breath and then get terrible headaches and palpitations in my chest and neck which lasts for a few minutes ti`ll I try and drop off again. This lasts for a few hours until the early hours when i`m just catching the odd chance to have nap. I do not snore or have any blockages, im not over weight, my body just seems to shut down.I have had high blood pressure problems for the last 27 years and before going on the BP tablets that i`m on now I was ok, recently I was told I had to up my daily dose from 10mgs to 20mgs to stabilise my readings. My BP really fluctuates from readings of 180/115 to 111/71 and I am scared that while i`m sleeping it drops so low that thats the reason for my breathing to stop and if I go on stronger ones then my problem will get worse.Am I right in thinking this or are the two problems unrelated? I am 49 years of age.i would try drinking more water when this happens, watch salivation level in your mouth and the color of your urine. If your mouth is dry or if your urine is yellow, not clear, it means you are dehydrated. What could be causing dehydration is MSG in all the processed foods if that is what you rely on. visit msgmyth dot com It will MESS you up and it is in most foods you would never even suspect it's in even if you try to eat healthy and buy food from a grocery store. You just have to be extremely careful as food manufacturers hide it under various names. Good luck

I HAVE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM!!!!!!!you should go to a sleep clinic and get yourself tested, cause you may have other problems as well while you sleep, you never know! but a sleep clinic will really help you get to the bottom of this problem. My next appointment is at the end of september.this breathing problem while you sleep can be caused by seizuses that you don't even know you're having during the night sometimes, sometimes if you stop breathing during the night it could be cause your mouth is too small- that's my problem and it's also cause i have asthma and allergies. I hope this helped!